In Every Reality
by spinzgirl
Summary: When Allura sees a vision of the future that causes her to collapse, Keith realizes the problem lies in another reality. **Season 8 was an abomination, so this is my attempt to fix it.**
1. In Every Reality

Keith never got tired of waking up next to his beautiful wife. While he usually awoke looking like he was recovering from a full moon, Allura was always a picture of grace. Her long golden tresses flowed like sunlit waterfalls over her shoulders which, depending on how the night before went, was sometimes a disappointment.

Last night was one of those special times.

Nanny had taken the children to visit her family in the village. Thankfully, in the peace that followed the Drule Empire's defeat, they could travel freely around Arus without fear of attack from Zarkon's forces. And Keith could have quality time with his Queen, which wasn't nearly often enough in his mind.

His thoughts were interrupted when Allura began to cry in her sleep. Worried she was having a nightmare he reached over to shake her shoulder. Her eyes shot open, her gaze shooting through him like a bullet. The hair on his neck stood on end as he spoke her name softly in an attempt not to startle her further. When she finally snapped to she was visibly shaking, so Keith pulled her into his arms until she finally calmed down.

"What happened?"

Blue eyes locked onto his as she responded a touch too cooly. "When the sky opens, we're all going to die."

After helping his beloved into the bath to soothe her nerves, Keith played the scene over and over in his mind. Something told him it wasn't just a nightmare. Still, he didn't want to push it any further as it would likely just upset her more. For the time being he would simply have to wait it out.

He didn't have to wait long. A scream from the bathroom sent him running; the scene nearly stopped his heart.

Allura had slipped under the water. The lack of bubbles rising to the surface likely meant she was drowning so he pulled her out quickly, without any attempt at gentleness. Several seconds passed before coughs and wet gasps for air graced his ears. After wrapping her in a tower he scooped her up and rushed to the infirmary. Soon she was hooked up to machines that whirred and beeped angrily at him for leaving her alone. Keith sunk to his knees as he plead to whatever gods might exist to save his wife.

As hours passed the team took turns coming to sit with her so Keith wasn't alone. Coran left to fetch the children, should the worst possibly happen. The Captain of the Voltron force was a man with a strong resolve when it came to everything but the woman who captured his heart. His gut churned as the idea of life without her ate away at his core.

Finally Lance convinced him to get some food before he too was in a hospital bed. Just as he was finishing his lunch he heard the sound of small footsteps coming down the hallway. Keith darted out of the mess hall to cut them off, scooping the youngest up into a hug.

"Dad," asked the oldest, who at eleven years was quite mature for his age, "is mom going to be okay?"

The little one he was holding looked at him with a scrunched up face. "Alfor said mommy got hurt. I need to kiss her boo boo in case the doctor did it wrong."

Keith smiled for the first time since he woke up that morning. "Fala, I'm sure mommy could desperately use your kisses right now."

The children entered the medical ward cautiously, walking lightly to their mother's bedside. Five-year-old Fala clamored up to sit at Allura's side, leaning in carefully to place a kiss on her mommy's cheek. As if by magic the Queen's long lashes began to flutter, her eyes opening slowly to find her precious daughter.

"It worked!" the child whispered excitedly, falling forward into Allura's raised arms. Alfor joined them, wrapping his arms around the two. Keith stood looking on, relieved to have his family whole once again. Still, his wife needed her rest so he asked Pidge and Hunk to take the children to the garden to pick flowers for their mother. Then he asked Lance and Coran to look into possible meddling by the witch Haggar.

Zarkon's advisor had been quiet in the years following her abduction of the then Princess of Arus. The witch had managed to invade Allura's thoughts before, maybe she was up to something again. Any answers that could prevent his wife from suffering more would be welcome, and he would take every action necessary to get them.

Once the room had cleared Allura looked to her husband, concern etched across her features.

"I need to tell you something," she stated quietly, her voice hoarse from the events of the day. "When it happens you need to be ready."

Keith sat on the bed beside her, his hand brushing errant strands of hair from her face. "It can wait, you shouldn't talk right now."

His wife shook her head emphatically. "Then I'll show you."

She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him weakly to her, allowing his forehead to rest against her own. They'd shared silent communications in the past, even over great distances. Perhaps this time it would work as well.

Keith closed his eyes and concentrated, clearing his mind of all the concerns he'd been harboring since he'd watched her nearly drown. Soon there was a flash of light, followed by scenes of events he couldn't recall. Yet most of the people were the ones he knew, all except one woman.

"Who is she?" he asked, sitting up again once the visions ended. Not that he hadn't worked it out, but he needed untainted confirmation of what he'd already guessed.

Allura looked down at her hands, which were still clutching her husband's jacket. "I- I think she is me."

Alternate realities were something they'd studied about in their theoretical physics course at the academy. Although still considered inconclusive, there was a lot of evidence in their favor. Keith wondered if that's what he'd seen, since the people in the visions looked somewhat like him and the other team members, but not exactly. Still his gut told him that most likely he'd be confirming this information first-hand soon enough.

"When the sky opens, we have to go there," Allura continued as she attempted to sit up, propping herself on her elbows to catch her breath.

" _You_ aren't going anywhere," Keith countered, his hand on her shoulder pushing her back onto the pillow. "I'll take Lance with me and that's it. Rest up while we're gone, you look exhausted."

For a second it seemed as though she was going to argue with him but quickly reconsidered as the echoes of her children's voices bounced off the walls of the castle. Keith long understood that, although he alone held her heart for years, it now also belonged to Fala and Alfor. Leaning down for a quick kiss he excused himself from the room, his retreat briefly halted by tiny arms that clung to his leg.

"Daddy, you're not leaving Mommy alone are you?" Fala had large blue eyes like her mother, and a pout that made Keith reconsider leaving at all.

 _The universe could stand on its own, right?_

Still he couldn't shake the visions. After giving a quick hug to his son and daughter he rushed to the control room where Lance was already waiting. A quick discussion led them to decide to take separate lions, in the off chance one didn't make it through to the other reality. Lance nodded his head in understanding as Keith explained their mission.

Soon they were both in their lions, perched on the highest mountain on Arus. Meanwhile Pidge and Hunk were running scans from the castle to look for anomalies should they appear out of the lions' view. Keith only had the visions provided from the other universe and therefore wasn't sure what they would see in their reality, only feeling that he'd recognize it once it made an appearance.

As nighttime fell he began to think nothing would happen. His body ached from sitting in such tight quarters for so long, and standing left the tell-tale crackle of stiff tendons. He was doing some stretches when he noticed it, a small flicker of light in the sky. At first it looked like a passing starship, but in a frightful instant it burst open revealing a swirling white light.

Jumping into the pilot's seat Keith placed the key into the controls, the floor vibrating below his feet as the lion roared to life. The red and black lions took off in the direction of the angry tear but stopped short when a giant robeast looking creature emerged from the rift. For a split second he considered calling for the other lions but realized he didn't need to when streaks of blue, yellow and green raced towards their location.

"Allura, you're supposed to be resting!" he called over the comms in frustration. She may have been needed but he couldn't risk leaving their children as orphans.

Relief washed over him when the response came back. "Goot ting I'm not your vife, den."

"Sven! What are you doing here?"

"Coran called und said I might be needed, so I came running."

Keith couldn't hold back a laugh. "I have never been so happy to hear that accent of yours, old friend."

The conversation ended there as the group quickly formed Voltron and headed into the hole in the sky. Inside the gap was nothing but the same white light, as if it were a dense fog settling in over the moors of Arus. In every direction they looked there was nothing: no stars, no planets, no people. It was a wasteland of sorts, but oddly it felt inviting.

Hunk's voice cut through the peaceful quiet. "Guys, look out!"

The large metal creature they'd seen earlier slammed into them, throwing Voltron further into the void. What they saw next, however, is what stunned them.

Another Voltron.

It was like theirs but not. Larger, sleeker, and seemingly more powerful, the team watched in awe as the two giant robots clashed. They moved so quickly that Keith had trouble tracking them, only following streaks of blue and purple light as they occasionally touched in a brief explosion of energy. When it seemed the robeast-like ship was preparing to land a fatal blow the other Voltron shot it with a beam of concentrated blue light, all but destroying its foe.

Once the battle ended the alternate Voltron flew out of the void, leaving the other robot to float listlessly. Sven suggested they chase after it but Keith insisted they tow the the heavily damaged mechanical robeast to safety. His gut told him it was important, he just had to remember why.

As the exited the void they were greeted with the sight of a giant castle shaped spaceship, similar to their own. It was so large it even dwarfed the lion ships that now surrounded it. Those same lions turned to shoot before realizing the ship they'd left in the gap between realities wasn't moving under its own power.

For a few seconds- that felt more like hours- the two groups sat unmoving, unsure how to approach the other. Finally the castle hailed them. When the screen came up Keith was shocked to see a man who closely resembled their most trusted advisor. The elder gentleman's face lit up with recognition at first, only checking himself when he realized Keith was wearing a similar expression.

"This is Coran of the Altean Castle of Lions. Please identify yourselves."

Realizing that he didn't have a complete grasp on the situation yet, Keith decided to play his cards close to his vest. He didn't want them to know they'd seen the battle as it could be construed as him siding with the enemy. For now it was best to play ignorant.

"My name is Commander Keith Kogane of the Voltron Force. My team and I were sucked into a rift and found this damaged ship, so we towed it to safety."

The transmission cut out, likely to allow them time to assess the situation and decide on their next move. However time was not on their side and Keith knew they had to move quickly. He decided that the best thing to do was to break up into their lions as a sign of good faith. If the other robot was the same, its pilots would know that they are more powerful together.

His instinct paid off and soon they were welcomed aboard the starship. The captain and his crew landed in a spare hangar, marvelling at the size. Everything seemed sterile, however, and didn't seem to have the same level of comfort his own home provided. A chill ran through him as he realized there was no crew to welcome them. The castle was massive but the noise and bustle he had grown accustomed to was eerily absent.

When the doors swished open there were six figures standing in the entry. They were wearing uniforms similar in style and color, one for each lion and one in the same pink his wife had chosen for her own armor. Keith straightened himself as the others approached, clearing his throat before he spoke. He almost couldn't once he realized their leader really was a near mirror-image of himself, only younger.

"Thank you for allowing us to briefly land here," he managed to choke out. "As you know my name is Keith Kogane, commander of the Voltron Force. This is my second-in-command, Lance McClain, and-"

"And I am single, if you're curious," the pilot interjected, stepping forward to greet the woman wearing what appeared to be a crown. He took her hand in his, leaning forward to kiss the back of it. "Now who might you be?"

The woman was obviously shocked by his behavior, or possibly shocked at how much he resembled one of her own teammates. "I'm Allura, Princess of Altea. Welcome to my castle."

McClain looked up confused, then back at his commander. "Did she just say Allura? Like, _your_ Allura?"

"What do you mean _his_ Allura?" barked Lance's doppelganger. "She's my- I mean _our-_ Allura!"

All eyes fell on the commander, who took a breath before continuing. "My apologies but I don't have time to explain everything at once. Pidge and Hunk, I need you to go with the ones I'm guessing are also Pidge and Hunk. See if the metal creature we pulled from the rift has a self-destruct function."

A man who resembled Sven but with a shock of white hair over his forehead stepped to the front of his group. "I'm sorry, but why are you giving us orders?"

Keith knew this wasn't a time to mince words. "Because we have roughly a quarter hour before those tears rip open all realities."

The small one with glasses checked his, no _her?_ , screen before nodding emphatically in agreement. "If we don't close those rifts everything will be destroyed."

That seemed to motivate them as she and the other three took off in the direction of the bay where the robeast had been placed. Sven, Lance, the other Lance, and the one who spoke that was apparently named Shiro were instructed to extract the pilot and place him in a medical pod.

Finally Keith was alone with his twin and the Princess. He found it strange looking at her. She only slightly resembled his wife but he still felt a strange affinity for the woman. Even more confusing was the fact that she and her version of Keith did not seem to be a couple.

 _Yet, at least._

"I'm sorry, but can you please tell us what's going on here?" asked the younger raven-haired pilot.

"My wife collapsed this morning. When she woke up she showed me your future. No, the future of everything."

The Princess cocked her head to the side, seemingly confused by his statement. "I'm sorry, but who is your wife and how does she know this?"

"My wife is Allura, Queen of Arus," he started, prompting a gasp from the duo. "I believe the rifts may have caused her to have visions of future events. That's why we're here, to correct those."

The two younger pilots glanced at each other curiously. Keith noticed they each blushed before quickly looking away. Although it wasn't part of his mission he made a mental note to give them a push in the right direction once everything was in place.

"So what do we do next?" asked the Princess, seeming to understand that there was more to the story than he'd told them. "Will everything be fine once the rifts are closed?"

Keith did a mental inventory of the scenes he'd been shown. Because they were small bits of information he guessed that he'd only seen the important points in time, such as where a decision to turn left instead of right could change the flow of history. But he didn't know if there were any outcomes that should be left alone, so he had to trust they would make the correct decisions.

"First," he started as he rubbed his temples in an attempt to focus, "there is a place full of people with markings like yours. You need to go there immediately to free them or the witch will turn them into warriors."

"That's the Altean colony Romelle came from," the other Keith explained to his Allura. "I think we can wormhole in there."

"Also there's a planet with a shining white pyramid," the commander continued. "You need to stop Haggar from exploiting it for her purposes. She's likely on her way there now."

The Princess' face darkened at the mention of Zarkon's witch. "We'll need to split up then. I'll take Pidge with me to Oriande. Keith, you take the castle to rescue the Alteans."

 _No, that won't do._

"Allura, with all due respect, I believe you should take Keith with you."

He couldn't help but notice her shoulders tense a bit at the suggestion. "And why is that?"

"Because you share a bond."

It was a guess on his part but, if their reality was anything like his then these two should have a deeper connection to each other. He'd seen the two of them do things neither he nor his wife could do, but also not any of the other paladins in their reality. That meant something important, he was sure of it.

Still they likely weren't aware of this and he had no proof. Yet their faces yielded no emotional responses, which lead him to believe they may have already suspected as much. And time was running short, so he had to sound sure of himself so the two would have no reason to question him further.

"When you get to Oriande you'll need to offer a trade. Lotor for the White Lion. You cannot let him die."

"He tried to kill my team!" shouted the other Keith. "He murdered Alteans for their magic. He….. he hurt Allura."

The last sentence ended in almost a whisper. It was obvious he cared for his princess and wanted to protect her. Keith understood that all too well, having had to rescue his own wife from the villain's clutches far too many times. Nonetheless Lotor's survival was key to stopping Haggar.

"I know, I've seen it." That wasn't a lie, even though it wasn't part of the memories he'd been shown. He'd witnessed the battle first-hand after all. "But if he dies she'll destroy all realities in an attempt to get him back. She needs to be defeated first, no questions asked."

The Princess contemplated all she'd been told, her brows creasing towards the bridge of her nose. "You said she'll try to destroy them, is there no way to stop it if she goes that far?"

Keith felt a cold chill run up his spine. He knew it could be stopped, but at far too high a price. Telling her the truth meant giving her the idea to do it, should the need arise. "No, there is not. We all perish."

Luckily she seemed to accept his doomsday prediction, nodding solemnly as the weight of the future now rested in their hands.

"We'll do as you say then," she concluded, pausing for a moment before adding a caveat. "But we have to close the rift first."

"Leave that to us," offered Keith. "We need to get back home before they close or we'll be stuck here forever. My wife and kids are waiting for me there. Just give us Lotor's robot and we'll be on our way."

As the conversation ended the teams returned from their assignments, excitedly comparing notes with their counterparts. The female Pidge ran ahead, breathlessly announcing their successes. "Lotor is alive, but barely," she announced proudly. "And if you blow up the Sincline ships they should cause the rifts to collapse in on themselves!"

"Then you need to go before then," Keith warned. "If you're too close to it the effects will be like circling a black hole. You'll lose too much time and won't be able to prevent the things we discussed." Turning to his mirror image he mentioned quietly, "A moment of your time please."

The two team leaders stepped aside while the others said their farewells. "I need to tell you two things. These are very important, and if you don't follow my instructions it could prove disastrous."

The younger Keith set his jaw, likely expecting the words to fall like punches. "First, if you don't give Lotor back the Empire will fall apart. Earth will be in grave danger. Second, if you don't stop Haggar then Princess Allura will die."

As expected the other man grimaced, his eyes flicking for a moment what appeared to be a yellow color. Keith admittedly was curious but knew that some things were better left unknown. The less baggage he carried home with him the better.

The two men started to return to the group before the Captain remembered one last thing. "Oh, and the most important thing you need to do is, well, here."

Holding his left hand up he pointed to the golden band that encircled his ring finger, then pointed to the Princess. He didn't even wait for a response from his other self, racing to the group to get his team on their way.

As the five lions pulled the Sincline ship into the rift Keith looked back to see another giant hole open in the sky and the castle disappear into it. He marvelled for a moment at the seemingly magical capabilities the Alteans possessed and wondered if there might be a dormant ability sleeping within his own people, the Arusians.

Pidge remotely activated the self-destruct sequence on the robeast, signalling that they needed to exit the rift quickly. None of them wanted to get caught in a time warp either, Keith especially. His wife and children would go years not knowing what happened to him if they didn't.

When the team neared Arus a flash of light engulfed the lions. Turning to look back they saw the rift had been closed and, at least for now, all realities were safe.

The moment the Black Lion touched down Keith made his way back to the castle. He'd called this place home for so many years he'd almost forgotten he was originally from a planet called Earth. Yet knowing it, and its people, was now safe in every reality gave him peace of mind.

More importantly the people waiting for him inside were safe. Keith sprinted to the infirmary, almost running into the door as it was too slow opening for his taste. Panic overtook him for a moment when he saw Allura's bed empty, clean sheets neatly adorning it. He looked in every direction, yet there was not another soul in sight.

They'd been caught in the event horizon after all. Time had passed, but how much? His lungs ached as he felt his chest tighten. At the moment he thought his legs would give out a voice from behind called out to him.

"You're back!"

No matter how far he went, no matter how long he was gone, he'd know that voice anywhere. Spinning around he found himself face to face with the woman who held his heart.

"Allura! You're okay!" he exclaimed, sweeping her up by the waist as he chased her lips with his own.

He imagined he'd never held her so tightly; he imagined he'd never let her go either. In this or any reality.


	2. In This Reality

"Helloooooo! Earth to Mullethead!"

Keith winced at the nickname, realizing Lance always used it when his ego was threatened. And if there was ever a time, now was it. They'd just wormholed away from the alternate reality Voltron team, including _their_ Keith who was married to _their_ Allura.

"Lance, if you're not asking about the mission I'm going to personally open another rift just to shove you in it!"

The gasps from the others made Keith shrink in on himself. He willed himself invisible but couldn't seem to make it happen. Still, he knew that he'd probably need to be kinder to the other paladin considering the bombshell that was just dropped on them. The blue paladin had long had a crush on the princess, after all.

Turning to face Lance fully, he realized how right he'd been. "You want to do that anyway," Lance snapped back as he clenched his fists angrily, "so you can have Allura to yourself!"

"Well I imagine you have as much of a chance with her as their Lance did," Keith retorted, his nostrils flaring as he spoke. With that he stormed off the bridge, headed to anywhere he could clear his head for a bit.

Eventually he found himself on the observation deck. Seeing the swirl of the distant galaxies always calmed his mind, reminding him of his relative insignificance despite his enormous burden. Then he remembered a conversation they'd had some time ago.

 _We're all connected._

He'd long marvelled at the fact that everything in the universe was connected, but it had never occurred to him that the link extended to other realities. Yet there it had always been, right in front of him. Even before they revealed themselves he'd been aware of their presence.

When they had entered the space rift he'd spotted something in the distance. The others didn't seem to notice it, but a brief glimmer of light drew his attention from Lotor's ship for a moment. It was then he felt it. Something that felt like deja vu, but more ominous.

That's why he'd convinced the others to trust the strangers that appeared suddenly. It was why he allowed them to save Lotor's life. And it was, even now, the reason he was questioning everything that had happened to him recently.

Well, recently was a relative term.

Finding his mother had been his dream from the moment he started with the Blades. Any anger he felt towards Kolivan for keeping quiet about Krolia's whereabouts had dissipated over the two years they'd been stranded on the space whale. He'd learned so much about her, about his past, and even about his future. Or what little of it he'd actually seen.

Now he understood. Bits of him fighting Shiro, of Voltron's fight with Lotor, even the Altean colony, had peppered his visions. Nonetheless most of the future visions, if that's what they could even be called, were distorted like a freshly painted portrait left out in the rain. Colors bled into each other and pooled at his feet, leaving a blank canvas behind.

Until the moment he met the other Keith, the other _him_ , he'd taken it as a sign that his own life would be cut short soon. Most nights he fell asleep cursing having ever left the dry desert of Arizona. Most mornings he awoke thinking about the reason he was glad he had.

 _Allura._

If she was the one destined to die then why could he not see his own future? Maybe it was in flux, only one of an infinite number of possibilities. And maybe he himself was the catalyst that could change it. Whatever the reason, he was most definitely thankful to not have seen the person he cared for the most disappear from his life forever.

Granted he thought she might have before. He may have been with the Blade of Marmora but he kept tabs on the team. Coran, Lance, Pidge, and especially Hunk, all kept him in the loop about the goings-on in the castle. None of them were completely comfortable with Lotor's presence yet they went along with the Princess' wishes.

When he returned with Romelle from the colony his plan was to get Lotor away from the others, permanently if possible. What he didn't expect was how deep the Galra leader's relationship with Allura had grown.

Keith's stomach knotted up even tighter as he recalled the scene of them kissing in the hangar. Without thinking he furiously punched the window, his knuckles cracking as they made contact with the glass. Pain shot through his hand into his arm, and he instantly regretted his impulsivity.

It was that same anger that got him into trouble constantly as a student, and set him on a path moving away from Allura as a paladin. He had his reasons for doing it, not all of them the right ones, but it was never because he wanted to be away from her. On the contrary, he missed her every day they were apart.

He'd been so excited on the trip back from the Altean colony. Sure, he knew they had to confront Lotor about the atrocities that he'd committed, and he knew the team as a whole had grown to trust the Galra Prince more. But Keith's concerns were overwhelmed by his need to protect Allura.

Then, after he'd taken off to save Shiro from yet another cruel imprisonment and likely torture at the hands of the Galra, he caught a glimpse of Allura being comforted by Lance. In fact, the argument he'd had with the blue paladin stemmed from more than Lance's jealousy. For Keith there was an equal amount of urgency when it came to winning her attention. Who knew what might have transpired between them during the time he'd been with the Blades?

This wasn't the time to think about personal relationships, however. The fate of the universe hung in the balance, demanding the bulk of his attention. Since the team would have to divide into smaller groups, Keith knew it made more sense to go back to the colony and send Allura with someone else to Oriande. He also knew that Lance was likely going to draw that straw.

Over and over he ran data through the system, looking for a way to safely get both groups to their location. First he paired Allura with Lance. Then with the rest of the team. The hard part was what to do when they got close to the white hole. Allura was the only one capable of reaching Oriande, that much he knew from their previous experience. He was the only untested option, and chances were just as slim of him reaching it. Still, he knew that some chance was better than no chance.

Now the hard part would be to convince the others. Granted he could just chalk it up to what the older Keith had mentioned and leave it at that. Would Allura accept it though? Or would she still doubt his loyalty to the team? To her?

Slav always spoke about different realities, and chances were this was the one-in-a-million reality where he and the Princess weren't a couple. It would be a lie to say that his heart didn't jump when the other version of himself mentioned his wife and kids. Things Keith never hoped to have for himself, yet he had yearned for it since he'd met _his_ Allura.

No. Not his. Not yet, at least.

Shaking his head he went back to the screen, which was now somewhat blurred. Wiping his eyes on the back of his sleeve he realized he'd been crying. He looked around quickly for a tissue to finish the job when a handkerchief appeared over his shoulder. He accepted it sheepishly when he realized the hand holding it was a woman's.

"Keith, we need to talk," she offered hesitantly, "but it seems like now isn't a good time."

After using the cloth to clean himself up a bit he turned to face Allura, offering a terse smile in gratitude. Her body language was unlike he'd expected: usually her features would soften and her shoulders relax when she tried to comfort him, but now her frame was tense as if she needed comfort _from_ him instead. The fact that she couldn't look him in the eye made the knot in his stomach even tighter.

 _She's trying to let me down easy._

A loud thud stopped the Princess in her tracks as she walked past the observation deck. Peering in she saw Keith, his hand raised as he studied the back of it. Allura was concerned at the angry bruise that crept over his knuckles. In front of him was the tell-tale smear on the window that told her he'd taken his frustration out on the thick glass.

On top of that he was crying for what seemed to be no apparent reason. Not that Allura didn't feel like breaking down at any moment after everything that had happened, especially after learning about Lotor's betrayal. She had fallen for his lies; his false praise made her trust him.

No, it made her love him.

She had been a fool, playing right into his arms. The kiss they'd shared played in her mind, a painful reminder of her foolish behavior. After all, she was willing to consider marrying that monster. In her bleakest moments he'd been the one who was there for her, offering solace as the war wore on endlessly.

Bitterness welled up inside her heart as Allura realized that loneliness was at the center of their relationship. Lotor was basically an orphan, just like her. He'd lost people he cared for, just like her. And, just like her, he'd attempted to fill that void with someone who could help him achieve his goals.

 _Quiznak._

Somewhere, somehow, Allura knew she was using him. She had an inkling that he was using her. Neither mattered at the time. It seemed that everyone wanted something from her, but no one was giving anything back.

Keith wasn't even around. He'd taken off first chance he got, leaving the team without a leader. Leaving her without a confidant.

She wanted to repay the favor. She wanted to walk away, pretending she'd not seen his moment of weakness. She wanted him to feel the helplessness, the yearning for companionship that once haunted her.

Yet her heart wouldn't allow it. A spark of empathy, a twinge of guilt, sent her feet moving swiftly towards him. Instinctively her arms moved to wrap around him, checked only by her low simmering resentment. Her fingers slipped into the pocket of her suit to extract a handkerchief. Quietly she offered it to him as she contemplated running away the moment he accepted it.

"What did he say to you?"

The words escaped her lips without forethought. She wasn't sure if it was curiosity or concern, but chances are what was said had upset him to the point of tears. Did he know what future they'd escaped after all? Or was it something else?

Keith's response barely registered with her, his voice just above a whisper. "It's nothing that concerns you. Just forget about it already."

Anger now boiled to the surface. He was no longer the leader of the team, and this was her ship How dare he keep a secret from her? Did he not understand that his long absence meant?

"Do you honestly think," she began, her words oozing from her like venom, "that you have _**any**_ right to waltz in here and tell me what to do?"

The paladin winced as if he'd actually felt pain, his mouth seemingly chewing words he could neither swallor nor spit out. Instead he tucked his chin to his chest in defeat, his footsteps beating a hasty retreat from the room.

Allura felt a pang of regret. After all, Keith had raced back to tell her about the Altean colony, as well as Lotor's cruel treatment of the survivors of his father's war. His insistence on joining the Blades had paid off in those discoveries. That and he had found his mother.

The Princess had neither thanked him nor congratulated him. She'd simply repaid him with harsh thoughts and an empty gesture. It began to occur to her that she'd taken her frustration with the other version of Keith out on this version instead.

The other Keith was obviously the team leader, and likely assumed in this reality the roles were the same. It made sense that he'd communicate directly to his counterpart, whom he likely trusted the most. Still, a few questions from him would have lead him to the knowledge that Shiro was the black paladin, and had earned the right to be involved in the conversation.

Better yet, she should have heard the news directly. After all she was the Princess of Altea. His Allura was the Queen of her people it seemed, the ruler of her planet. Surely he didn't leave his own wife out of important decisions, right?

 _Wait, his wife?_

That thought froze her instantly. In all the chaos she'd barely registered that fact that in another reality the other her was married to the other Keith. They had children together. And he was willing to risk everything to protect them from the mess the team had created in this reality.

Just like her Keith.

Nothing had ever been said about his brush with death when the team was in danger. No discussion was held to remind him that self-sacrifice wasn't acceptable, that he was desperately needed. She'd only given Lotor credit for saving the team, even though for him it was as easy as pressing a button.

Now was the time to set things right. Quickly she chased after Keith, following his presumed path to his former sleeping quarters. Her mind buzzed with scenario after scenario of how she would make amends for her transgressions.

Rounding the corner she spotted her target, standing stiffly near the corner where two corridors intersected. His face was pale, his eyes wide. At first she feared he was still shocked by her demeanor earlier. However a brief flash of light pierced through his armor before disappearing with a buzz.

Keith dropped to his knees as he mouthed the words "I'm sorry." Behind him loomed a towering figure, cloaked in darkness yet the outline felt familiar. A sinister laugh chilled her to the core as the villain emerged from the shadows.

His face was familiar yet foreign, as if he'd aged poorly overnight. Scars pinched his skin in jagged patterns across his cheek and chin, the likely result of a well-worn blade. From under a winged helmet fell matted white locks that draped over scuffed black epaulets.

 _Lotor._

Allura couldn't stop the shaking that wracked her body. The Lotor she knew was horribly disfigured in their battle, needing days- if not weeks- to recover. No, the monster before her was someone else. Something else.

The sinister look in his gaze sent the message his sneering lips would not. He was there for her. His eyes possessed her very being, her soul chained by his salacious stare.

Lotor's right boot raised to rest on Keith's sagging left shoulder, a lazy shove sending the young paladin face first onto the unforgiving ground. Allura held her breath, willing Keith to move. When he didn't the aggressor chuckled haughtily as he kicked the lifeless body.

"No matter what reality I go to," whined the cowardly man, "this pathetic weakling always gets in my way."


End file.
